Meringue (Pavlova) Wreath

Everywhere I look on the internet, there is a meringue wreath festively decorated with all varieties of fresh fruit, nuts and mint. Since I had leftover egg whites from making Mom’s Homemade Egg Noodles (Mom always made chicken and noodles for Christmas dinner), I decided to one of these gorgeous desserts!

Above - wreath in the shaping process.
Below: - the baked wreath

 

Meringue (Pavlova) Wreath

Meringue

6 egg whites at room temperature (while eggs separated best when cold, the whites whip up to a higher volume if allowed to come to room temp; be sure there are no specks of yolk & that the bowl & whisk are fat free as fat inhibits the formation of foam)

1 teaspoon cream of tarter (acts as a stabilizer for the foamy egg whites)

1 ½ cups granulated sugar (some recipes call for fine sugar so as it is more easily incorporated into the meringue; I just use granulated but you can created fine sugar by blending it in the blender for just a pulse or two)

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Whipped Cream Topping

2 cups whipping cream + about ½ cup powdered (confectioner’s) sugar + 1 teaspoon vanilla

Decorative Additions . . . these were my choices

Fresh fruit of your choice – I used blueberries and pomegranate seeds

Nuts – I used sugared pecans*

Fresh mint leaves

Dark chocolate – chopped from a dark chocolate candy bar

Star-shaped sugar cookies

Powdered sugar

 

*Sugared Pecans: Add pecans to a dry, stick-free skillet set on medium temp; throw in some granulated    sugar and stir until sugar crystalizes and then melts. Transfer immediately to wax paper to avoid sticking.

1. Preheat oven to 275° F.Beat eggs and cream of tarter until frothy. 
2. Gradually beat in sugar, adding just a tablespoon or two at a time.
3. Beat until stiff and glossy and the sugar is incorporated — whites should  form stiff peaks & the mixture should not feel gritty if a bit is rubbed between your fingers
4. Draw a circle (use an 8 or 9” cake pan or plate, etc.) on the underside of parchment or brown paper. 
5. Using the circle as a guide, add large spoonsful of meringue inside the circle to form a wreath shape or just spread the meringue on the inside of the circle in a wreath form. I created the wreath with spoonsful of meringue and then made a slight indentation in each to create a place for the whipped cream.
6. Bake 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave wreath in oven until cool.
7. When ready to serve prepare whipped cream and pile over the top of meringue wreath. Then decorate with toppings of your choice and sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar.